


Groovie, Like WeUs

by SunriseSeaMonster



Series: Geonhak and Giwook [1]
Category: ONEUS (Band), ONEWE (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cute, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, Love Hotels, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:01:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24195580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunriseSeaMonster/pseuds/SunriseSeaMonster
Summary: Geonhak likes Giwook.  He's a great friend.Just a friend.  Definitely, totally just a friend.Obviously.
Relationships: Kim Geonhak | Leedo/Lee Giwook | Cya
Series: Geonhak and Giwook [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1786948
Comments: 78
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

Geonhak is not all about it. 

He likes Japan. He likes the fans, he likes the orderliness, he likes the food, and he likes the fact that lugging his dumbbells here is way easier than getting them to the USA was. That blew.

Also, the ONEWE band members are joining Geonhak’s group here, and they always bring their own flavor of zany fun to any joint activities. Not that ONEUS life is ordinarily what any sane person would call boring, but still. Geonhak’s never been hugely into math, but he sees it kind of like an equation: 

ONEUS energy level x ONEWE accident-prone nature = Total chaos, but the good kind.

Okay, well, usually the good kind. 

This… he is not all about this. Specifically, he’s not all about how, on this tour, his schedule is so full of rehearsals, performances, and other business-related activities that – on this early, frigid morning – he’s only getting the tiniest chance to slip away alone. Maybe two hours, tops.

He does this, sometimes. Often. It’s one of Geonhak’s secret talents – slipping away in whatever city they’re visiting, just letting himself drift back into what feels like the real world. No makeup artists, no stylists, no fans, _definitely_ no group members – nothing but him and the smell of laundry exhausts on apartment buildings, people walking tiny dogs on thread-thin leashes, ragged scaffolds shielding pedestrians from ongoing construction.

Geonhak knows he doesn’t have a reputation for wandering, and this, of course, is exactly what enables him to continue his unsupervised strolls down unfamiliar sidewalks. He frequently wanders cities in the dead of night or in the early, early morning, before the sky can lighten from cobalt to pearly blue. 

He’s usually bundled up well, and by donning a cap, a mask, and borderline unfriendly body language, nobody approaches him closely enough to risk compromising his safety or identity. 

But today, he’s going to have to be somewhat quick. He figures he has just enough time to head uptown and back, stopping at a nearby convenience store. He likes to buy some small item on these wanders, so that if he should happen to be confronted when returning back to the hotel, he can say he desperately needed a chocolate bar, or whatever he happened to snag at the store. Saying, “I needed to be reminded of the real world” would somehow just… well, it might be a bit weird.

It’s cold – early February – and he hates the cold. Still, Geonhak feels the nip of the city air hit his face and thinks, _Alive. I feel alive._

He wouldn’t trade this for any amount of cozy sleep in a hotel bedroom. 

He quickly spies the nearest convenience store and steps inside. He decides on umeboshi onigiri – a small triangle of rice with a salted plum inside – and steps to the register to pay. 

“Hyung, you like that stuff?” a small voice asks. 

Geonhak whirls around to see ONEWE’s Giwook, holding a bag of mango gummy candy. “What the hell are you doing out here at 5:00 in the morning?” he asks the young bassist. 

Giwook shrugs. “You’re here too, right? Why are _you_ here?” 

“None of your business,” says Geonhak, keeping his voice light but firm. He likes Giwook; they’ve gotten closer over the last few years, working late nights on quirky musical side projects. Giwook is his meme-texting buddy, and they’ve shared many laughs trawling social media for mentions of themselves. And he’s a pretty great rapper, too. 

But that doesn’t mean he wants to share his pre-dawn ramble with the WeUs maknae, either. 

Geonhak turns back to the register to complete his purchase. 

“Could I walk with you?” asks Giwook, behind him. 

Geonhak steps aside to let Giwook pay for his mango gummies. “What do you mean? Back to the hotel?” 

“No, hyung. Like… around. You weren’t about to head back to the hotel, were you?”

“What do you mean?” Geonhak feels his hackles rising.

“I dunno.” Giwook pauses and thanks the store employee. 

They step outside, back into the Tokyo chill. 

Geonhak looks at Giwook, who somehow manages to look impish, even under heavy layers of winter outerwear. 

Giwook shuffles from one foot to the other and says, “It just didn’t seem like you were headed back immediately, and I could use some fresh air.” Geonhak cuts his eyes to the city haze and hesitates. Giwook laughs. “Okay, well, sorta fresh air. You know what I mean.” 

Geonhak sighs. “I do, actually. I totally do. But okay, I’m not walking slowly for you, got it? Keep up and keep quiet; talking will kill the moment.” 

Giwook grins, his asymmetrical eyes lending his face an instant look of childish joy. He shakes his fists slightly in happiness, bag of mango gummies swinging wildly in the air. Cute. 

They head north, walking past indistinguishable office buildings and more large hotels. At a street crossing, Geonhak turns right, reasoning that he’d rather be facing east now, before the low winter sun comes up to blind them over the horizon.

“Do you know where you’re going, hyung?” 

“I told you not to talk.”

“Okayyyy.” Giwook’s tone is cheeky, and Geonhak huffs to himself. Why is the maknae questioning his navigational abilities? This is totally ruining his walk. 

They walk a few blocks before Geonhak takes another right, south back toward their hotel. 

It takes Geonhak a few minutes to notice the change in his surroundings. This neighborhood doesn’t feel quite as highbrow as the previous ones, somehow. The concrete facings on the buildings are… not in poor repair, exactly, but not as pristine – and although there weren’t many pedestrians ambling around their hotel, this street is positively deserted. 

Geonhak reminds himself that Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, with a virtually nonexistent violent crime rate. 

Still, it’s eerie somehow. 

And what could this building be, up ahead? There’s some sort of red neon sign in an otherwise charcoal gray alley. Maybe if he squints… 

“It’s a love hotel, hyung.” Giwook’s voice startles him, cutting through the near-silence.

“Damn it! You made me jump.” 

Giwook chuckles. “Yeah, I see that.” 

They continue to approach, and now Geonhak feels silly for not registering earlier that the neon sign features two interlocked hearts, in addition to the Japanese kanji.

Two women exit the hotel, hand in hand and stars in their eyes. They chatter in low tones before seeing Geonhak and Giwook on the sidewalk, then immediately drop their hands back to their sides. 

Nobody says a word, and the two women turn on their heels, walking quickly in the other direction. 

“Well, that was awkward,” says Giwook. 

“I told you– ” 

“Not to talk, yeah, I get it hyung, but still. It was awkward. I kinda feel bad.”

“Me too,” says Geonhak. He sighs. “Me too.” 

They haven’t made it past three storefronts before Giwook says, “Would you ever consider going to a love hotel?” 

Geonhak is too taken aback by the question to tell Giwook to shut up one more time. “Would I consider… what? I have no idea. Why would I do that?” 

“I dunno.” 

Geonhak stops walking and stares at the young bassist. “You’re weird, you know that?” 

“So they tell me.” Giwook shrugs, unconcerned. 

The sun breaks through the early haze and past the quiet buildings, and a slivered ray of light appears on Giwook’s ankle – a yellow arrow, pointing to a camouflage-print-covered leg. 

“I think we should go back,” says Giwook. 

“Back? Back to the hotel? That’s where we’re headed, fool. I’m good with directions.” _Obviously. If you had been paying attention._

“No, back to the love hotel.” 

“WHAT?! Why?” 

“I want to see the lobby.” Giwook swings his bag of mango gummies casually – back, forth, back, forth. 

It’s a sinister pendulum, hypnotizing Geonhak, maybe, because he hears himself say, “You know what? Fuck it. Let’s go see the love hotel lobby. This morning can’t get any fucking weirder.” 

Giwook grins again and turns back in the direction of the love hotel. The ray of sunlight remains in place, peeled off the ankle, now just pointing to an empty patch of sidewalk. 

Geonhak feels a flash of sadness about it, then shakes his head and follows Giwook. 

The inside of the love hotel lobby is quiet. There’s a bank of descriptions and pictures on the wall, with buttons to select one’s chosen room. All payment is, of course, done through this wall of buttons – no need to interact with another human. 

“Do you want to see the inside of a room?” asks Giwook. 

“Absolutely the fuck not,” hisses Geonhak, trying desperately to keep his voice low. 

“Why not?” 

“WHY NOT? Well, for one thing, I have to be back for breakfast soon. But also, are you crazy? Do you know what would happen if we were spotted leaving a love hotel room together?” 

Giwook shrugs. “It’s already going to be terrible if anybody sees us leaving this building. I mean, might as well while we’re here, right? I’ve always wanted to see the inside of one of these places.” 

Geonhak stares at Giwook, who seems oddly unconcerned with Geonhak’s discomfort. 

There’s a sound of a door opening in the distance – but, thinks Geonhak, not all that distant, either. A low burble of laughter floats down the hallway. 

“I’m leaving.” Geonhak turns on his heel and steps back outside, exhaling deeply and wondering how his restorative morning walk could have gotten so bonkers, so quickly. 

Giwook opens the door and joins him on the sidewalk. 

“We should come back. I want to see one of the rooms.” 

“What? When?” 

“Tonight, after the show.”

“Are you kidding? Everybody will be exhausted. You want to come see what a love hotel room is like, after a show?”

Giwook hesitates. “Yes? Yeah, I think I do. I mean, I’ve always been curious about them.”

Geonhak shakes his head and starts leading the way back to their hotel. 

Giwook tails him closely. They walk several blocks before he speaks again. “So, hyung, are you coming, or not?” 

Geonhak has to laugh. “Giwookie, why would I come with you?” 

The bassist grins. “Well, you’re strong and look mean. This is a bad part of town.” 

“Oh, please. We both know it’s safe.”

Giwook gives him a tiny, maknae-sized punch to the upper arm. “That sounded like a yes to me. You’re rooming with Seoho, right? I’ll come get you around 11. But I’ll text you.” 

“You’re out of your mind,” says Geonhak. 

But he doesn’t say no.


	2. Chapter 2

The show is fantastic. The fans are enthusiastic, the two groups feed off each other’s energy, and when Geonhak looks around the venue at the end of the night, he remembers exactly why he chose this career. Performing this kind of full-length show is a high he could never achieve with drugs. 

It’s also utterly exhausting. What goes up must come down, and this level of adrenaline high leads to an absolute system crash. It feels like getting hit by a truck.

All of both ONEUS and ONEWE appear to be running on fumes, he thinks, as they drift in small groups up the hotel elevator. Even Dongmyeong, the everlasting battery of the WeUs family, is leaning into his twin brother’s shoulder at an angle that makes Geonhak’s neck hurt, just looking at it. 

Geonhak is one of the last to leave the venue and barely makes it to his hotel room without holding onto the walls for support. Seoho has made it back first and is in the bathroom. Seoho-hyung isn’t even running the shower, Geonhak notes as he collapses onto his bed. He’s probably using makeup wipes to very deliberately wipe every molecule of makeup off his face before bathing, or whatever dumb hygiene advice he read about online recently. What a nerd. 

Geonhak briefly debates just going to sleep, letting Seoho take as long as he likes, but there are two problems: One, he has to piss. Two, he just scratched his face, and the dried salt from his sweat is combining with his makeup to make the grossest little pills of grime underneath his fingernails. 

Geonhak sits up on the bed with a groan and looks around the room. Well, his toiletry bag is in reach. Maybe he’ll just go bug Hwanwoong, who’s got a room to himself now that Dongju is rooming with his brother.

He slithers off his bed, knocks on the bathroom door and says, “Seoho? You about done in there?” 

Seoho’s whine echoes in the small bathroom. “I don’t know what I ate, but you are _not_ going to want to come in here for a while.” 

“Aw, seriously? Damnit, Seoho… Okay, I’m going to go see if I can get ready for bed in Hwanwoong’s room.” 

Seoho murmurs something incomprehensible in response.

_Great._ Geonhak sighs, puts on slippers, grabs his pajamas, and reaches for his toiletry bag. 

He closes his hotel room door gently behind him, not wanting to wake anybody who is lucky enough to already be sleeping. He pads down the carpeted hotel corridor and is about to knock on Hwanwoong’s door when he hears the ding of the elevator, arriving at this floor. 

Curious to see who would be getting in so late, Geonhak freezes, hand next to the door. He cranes his neck and sees a small figure in a bucket hat step onto the carpet. 

_No._ He was serious?! 

Geonhak drops his hand. 

“You don’t look ready to go, hyung,” says Giwook quietly, when he gets close to Geonhak. “What’s in the bag?” 

“These are my toiletries,” hisses Geonhak, “and I am trying to get ready for bed.” 

“In Hwanwoong’s room? Didn’t know you two were like that.”

“No! No. Like what?!” 

Giwook shrugs. 

“Look, Seoho blew up our toilet and I just want to sleep.” Geonhak hears the desperation in his own voice. He _really_ needs to piss. 

Giwook’s eyes twinkle. “We can sleep at the love hotel! I’m serious, you can stay there overnight just to sleep. I was reading about it on our break earlier. They’re great places for single travelers to stay, safe and affordable.” 

“What is your obsession with going to a love hotel?!” Geonhak’s voice rises, and he hears the shuffle of footsteps on the other side of the door. 

An even more groggy-eyed than usual Hwanwoong opens the door. “You two are going to a love hotel? And why are you at my door?” 

“No! No, we are not going to a love hotel. I just need to use your bathroom. Please, may I use your bathroom, Woongie?” 

Giwook just shrugs again. 

Hwanwoong’s sleepy eyes pivot from Geonhak to Giwook and back again. He opens the door wider and steps back into his room, allowing them both to enter. 

Geonhak races to the bathroom and shuts the door behind him. Giwook’s voice calls out from the other side, “I’ll just wait here for you!” Then, quieter, “You don’t mind if I wait here for a second, right?” 

Hwanwoong murmurs something in response that Geonhak can’t make out over the sound of the toilet. 

This is unbelievable. Geonhak turns on the shower and is grateful for its immediate, steaming heat. He steps under the hot water and feels his muscles unclench. What to do about this kid? Why is he so obsessed with going to a love hotel? 

Although… since this morning’s walk, Geonhak has to admit he’s full of curiosity, too. Maybe Giwook will be appeased if they just look quickly around and leave again.

On the other hand… it’s late, and Geonhak is exhausted. They’re not walking all the way there to look at some weird sex room for five minutes, then back. In the cold.

He dries himself off, puts on his pajamas, and opens the bathroom door, hearing laughter. 

He’s not sure what he expected to see, but it wasn’t this: Hwanwoong, now wide awake, sitting on the floor with Giwook, their shoulders leaning into each other. Laughter is not only in their voices but all over their faces. 

“He said _what_ while it was still recording?” Hwanwoong has tears in his eyes, he’s laughing so hard. 

“I know! It was totally ridiculous!” Giwook’s crooked grin lights up his face. “Oh, hey, hyung,” he addresses Geonhak. “Don’t worry, Hwanwoong said he’d go with me. He’s never been to a love hotel, either, and we’re going to take lots of pictures, text them to our friends back home, the whole deal. I brought my tiny BMO” – he fishes the toy out of his pocket for Geonhak to see – “and we’re going to, like, pose him all over the room doing funny things, then add funny captions.” 

Geonhak’s stomach does a strange little tumble. 

“Didn’t you say you wanted someone big and strong to protect you?” he asks. 

“YAH! I’m short but I’m strong! Just because I’m not a bodybuilder like you doesn’t make me a weakling,” protests Hwanwoong. 

Giwook looks at Geonhak. “You’re in pajamas, hyung.”

“He’s about to take them off anyway,” chuckles Hwanwoong. “He sleeps naked!”

“What? Really?” Giwook’s face pulls a strange expression. 

Geonhak growls a bit in his throat. “I feel constricted by clothing when I’m trying to sleep, that’s all.” 

“Anyway,” Hwanwoong scrambles to his feet, “I can be ready in a few minutes. Let me just grab my phone.” 

Geonhak feels strange, as if he’s become a third wheel without realizing he wanted to be one of the main players. 

Hwanwoong bends over his phone and frowns. “On second thought,” he says, “You two go ahead.” 

“Everything okay?” asks Geonhak. 

“Yeah,” says Hwanwoong. “It’s just… Youngjo.”

“Ah,” says Geonhak. They give each other a look, and Geonhak nods. Youngjo gets into… well, moods sometimes. Sometimes he just needs somebody to talk things over with, and Hwanwoong is always a good listener. 

Giwook looks puzzled. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Geonhak reassures him. “He’ll be fine. Let me just go get changed, and we can go, okay?”

Geonhak and Giwook both glance at Hwanwoong, who is now completely absorbed in his phone, fingers tip-tapping away. Their eyes meet again, and they head back out to the hotel corridor. 

“If we go there, are we spending the night?” asks Geonhak. “Because I’m not going all the way to this place and back in the next hour. I need to rest.”

“I told you; we can stay all night. It’s totally fine.” Giwook’s quirky eyes look earnest, not mischievous, and Geonhak nods.

“Okay. Wait here,” he tells the bassist. “I really don’t feel like getting into it with Seoho, and he does not know how to turn off his curiosity. It’s basically impossible for him to stop asking questions once he starts, and we’ll be here all night.” 

“Yes, hyung.” Giwook rolls his eyes. 

_Fair,_ thinks Geonhak. The maknae already knows that about Seoho, but somehow Geonhak feels better having said it out loud. 

He’s definitely not just making excuses for himself, for failing to tell his roommate that he’s going to spend the night at a love hotel with another man.

Definitely. 

Probably. 

_Whatever._ He taps his keycard onto his lock and enters his room. 

He needn’t have worried. Seoho is already fast asleep, dead to the world, with all the lights on. Geonhak dumps his dirty clothing into a growing pile in a corner, sets his toiletry bag down, and gets changed as quickly as possible. He texts Seoho a quick note: _Leaving the room and its delightful bathroom all to you! See you at breakfast!_

Seoho will probably just assume he’s sleeping in Hwanwoong’s room or something. It’ll be fine. 

Geonhak glances one last time around the room before turning the lights off, leaving Seoho snoring ever so gently in the dark. 

He steps back into the corridor, where his young friend is now sitting against the wall.

Giwook stands up, adjusts his bucket hat, zips up his winter coat, and beams a smile at Geonhak. They get into the elevator and walk out of the building in silence. 

_Funny that he couldn’t be silent this morning._

They make it nearly to the love hotel before Geonhak clears his throat. “So, you really ready to do this?”

“Yes,” is the simple response from Giwook. 

Well, fine then. 

They enter the love hotel, fortunately not encountering any other people immediately near the building or in the lobby. 

The wall of room options suddenly seems overwhelming; the only thing Geonhak can really tell that the rooms have in common seems to be that they are all _huge._

“Let’s take this one!” Giwook points at one picture. “It’s got a jacuzzi!” 

Geonhak laughs. “Does BMO need to go swimming?” 

“No, for me, hyung.”

“What?” Geonhak looks at the bassist, incredulous. 

“Don’t tell me your muscles couldn’t use it after the craziness of the last few days.” 

Geonhak wants to protest but realizes Giwook is right. He tilts his head, clicks his tongue against his mouth, and inserts his payment into the appropriate slot. An electronic display flashes something in Japanese. 

“Can you read this?” he asks Giwook. 

The bassist shakes his head. “But I don’t need to be able to read it. That button was red and now it’s green.” 

Geonhak presses the green button, and a small window pops open, revealing a key with a room number on its keychain. 

Geonhak takes the key and dangles it from the keychain. He looks at Giwook, who… might be blushing a bit?

Well, it is a strange situation.

But it’ll be a fun adventure that they can laugh about with their friends, right? _That time Geonhak and Giwook took BMO to a love hotel and took silly pictures…_

Except that… it seems less like silly, boyish fun now that they’ve got the key in hand, and more like they are two adult men about to go to a room specifically designed for people to bang each other senseless.

Giwook takes charge, grabbing the key from Geonhak. “Right, hyung. Room 94,” he reads off the keychain. 

“Really?” asks Geonhak. 

“Yep.” 

“Lead the way,” says Geonhak, but Giwook is already walking down the corridor. 

The room is even larger than it looked in the picture. It’s surprisingly fun-looking; the bed and curtain fabric has a bit of texture to it, not that Geonhak knows what it’s called. The color scheme is a mix of beige and white, with pops of bright red and orange. 

In addition to the bed, nightstands, and dresser, the room features a low table, an L-shaped sofa, a massaging chair – _a massaging chair?!_ – and yes, there’s the jacuzzi, in one corner of the bedroom, not in the bathroom. Giwook bounds over to the jacuzzi and turns it on, immediately.

Geonhak sits on the sofa and suddenly feels the tiredness rushing back to him. It truly has been a long day.

“Giwookie,” he says. “I’m not sure I’m up for all this BMO photo adventure time right now, but you can wake me early in the morning, okay?” 

Giwook is already removing his clothing, starting with the bucket hat and winter coat. “Is it going to keep you up if I soak in this hot tub for a bit?”

“Not even the sound of Dongmyeong and Dongju fighting could keep me awake. Nothing could. Feel free,” says Geonhak. And he means it. He stands from the sofa and walks to the bed.

As he’s taking his own coat off, Giwook calls out from the jacuzzi, “Are you really going to sleep naked?” 

Geonhak’s ears suddenly feel a bit warm. “I’ll keep my underwear on.” 

“Just curious.” 

Somehow, the fact that Giwook is asking this in the nude, from a jacuzzi, makes Geonhak’s insides go queasy. He slips under the covers, exhausted.

But – despite what he’d just said about being able to sleep through anything right now – his mind is wide awake, fingertips tingling and heart in his throat.

He hears Giwook’s happy little sighs from the jacuzzi, barely audible over the sound of the bathtub’s bubble jets. 

A strange thought starts percolating, like the fizzy dew off a can of soda, right at the back of Geonhak’s mind.


	3. Chapter 3

When Geonhak was a trainee, one of the lessons he received was in handling interviews. Well, they covered this topic several times, but one specific method they taught him was to give himself frequent mental, imaginary interviews. When he asked whether this wasn’t simply a form of talking to himself, they agreed – but _focused_ talking to himself. 

Since then, he has employed the technique regularly. Trying to think of how he’d explain something to another person helps him explain situations to himself.

Thus, lying here in between the sheets of a love hotel bed, wearing only his underwear, hearing his cute, younger friend sigh and splash happily in a hot tub only a few meters away, Geonhak has a stern talk with himself. 

He activates his inner, imaginary interviewer.

 **What, Geonhak, are you doing here?**

_Lying in bed, trying to get to sleep._

**No. What are you doing HERE, in a love hotel?**

_Giwook wanted to come here._

**Why did he want to come here?**

_I don’t know._

**Why do people usually go to love hotels?**

_To fuck?_

**To fuck.**

_But I don’t think that’s why he wanted to come here._

**Why not?**

_Well, for one thing, he didn’t seem to care whether it was me or Hwanwoong who came here with him._

**Maybe he would have been fine fucking either of you.**

_I don’t believe that._

**Why not?**

_He doesn’t even know Hwanwoong that well! Giwook and I have spent countless nights laughing in his studio, while Hwanwoong was who knows where, sleeping or dancing or watching red panda videos, or whatever._

**So you think Giwook should want to fuck you more than Hwanwoong.**

_Maybe._

**Do you want to fuck Giwook?**

_No!_

**Why did you come to a love hotel with him?**

_It seemed like a good idea at the time…?_

**Would you kiss him?**

Geonhak’s inner interview is cut short by Giwook, towel wrapped around his waist, suddenly appearing next to the bed. His hair curls away from his face in frizzy, wavy wisps, his cheeks and button nose are flushed and peachy, and his expressive little mouth is a pearly pink.

_Yes._

“Thought you’d be asleep already, hyung.” 

“I… I think I’m still cold from the walk here,” says Geonhak. _Argh._ What a dumb thing to say. He scrunches his nose and bites his lower lip in frustration. Geonhak always runs hot, and now is no exception.

Giwook reaches for his clothing, dropping the towel, and Geonhak turns to look away as Giwook dresses himself. 

The young bassist slips under the covers and scoots right up to Geonhak. The soft fabric of Giwook’s tee presses against the exposed skin of Geonhak’s back, and Giwook snakes his arms under Geonhak’s. The heat of his jacuzzi-warmed body radiates through his tee and underwear.

“Hyung, I don’t see how you could be cold. You’re like a boiler.” 

Truly, it had been an idiotic thing to say. Geonhak doesn’t do well under pressure. And the flustered feeling isn’t subsiding now that he’s being spooned by his production buddy – his equally toasty, pearly-pink-lipped production buddy. 

“Maybe I was confused,” says Geonhak, aware that he must sound like an idiot. He’s always thought of Giwook as being the smarter one, because he’s such a brilliant music producer, but that doesn’t mean Geonhak is used to feeling like an absolute moron around him, either. 

But the maknae just laughs and cuddles him closer. “It’s kinda fun. It’s winter outside, but you’re, like, my personal space heater. We’ll just sweat ourselves to health, in our own private sauna.”

Geonhak grunts a bit and turns over to face Giwook. “If you cuddle up that closely to me, we really will both overheat. I’m too tired not to get any sleep tonight, okay?” 

Giwook looks at him for a bit without responding. He finally blinks and says, “Okay,” before craning his face forward. He kisses Geonhak lightly on the lips, soft lips gentle on his own, then turns back to face the wall. 

Geonhak lies frozen in place for what feels like an eternity, though an eternity very quickly scored by the soft half-snores of his younger companion.

He doesn’t move his lips, playing back the phantom sensation of that gentle, small kiss, over and over and over again.

How could Giwook fall asleep so quickly? 

But eventually, even Geonhak’s swirling confusion of thoughts loses out to the powerful exhaustion of the last 24 hours. 

_____ 

Geonhak awakens to see a fully-clothed Giwook, carefully trying to wedge his BMO toy into the crook of the curtain tie, at the window. 

Geonhak sits up in bed, letting the covers fall onto his lap. “Is BMO trying to let the sunshine in?” he asks.

Giwook turns around, sees Geonhak, and drops BMO onto the floor, eyes wide. 

_Oh._ Geonhak’s ears tingle. Maybe he should put on a shirt. He shifts his legs, bringing his knees up to obscure his chest a bit. “Morning, Giwookie.” 

“Morning, hyung.” Giwook reaches down to pick BMO off the floor. “I was thinking this one could have some caption like, ‘BMO explores windows to new opportunities, in new places!’” 

“That’s cute,” agrees Geonhak. “Wait, what time is it? We’ve got a late start today, right?” 

“Yeah, breakfast runs late today,” confirms the bassist. “We’ve probably got another hour or so before we should start heading back.” 

Geonhak flips the bedcovers aside, feeling the prickle of Giwook’s eyes on him. He dresses himself as quickly as possible, then heads to the bathroom. 

When he reenters the bedroom, Giwook is sitting in the massaging chair, wearing a crooked grin. “Might as well, right?” He pushes a button on the small remote, and the chair purrs into action. His eyes widen as the chair’s massaging mechanism works its way up his back. “This is pretty great, hyung. You should try this.”

Geonhak grins at him. “All you, Giwookie. I think my muscles are going to need something a bit more intense, soon.”

This time he’s sure of it. Giwook’s cheeks definitely turn a bit peachy-pink. _Interesting._

Giwook lets the chair run through one cycle, then turns off the motor. 

They pose and photograph the little BMO toy all over the room, including a shot of him dangling one spindly arm into the box of hotel-provided condoms, atop a nightstand. 

“We’ll caption this, ‘BMO says _Safety first!_ ’” says Geonhak. 

“No!” Giwook shakes his head. _“Safety third!”_

Geonhak laughs out loud. “What are the first two, before safety?” 

“Who knows?” Giwook grins. “That’s why it’s funny!” 

Geonhak has to agree that it is, though he can’t exactly explain why. Giwook is such a weirdo. 

But… he kinda likes it. 

They finish taking pictures and then head back down the love hotel corridor to the lobby. They find the appropriate window and deposit their key, then press the button they think locks the compartment. The green button turns back to red, and the wall spits out a small receipt.

Geonhak and Giwook look at each other. Geonhak shrugs and pockets the receipt. 

They walk quietly, companionably, back toward the WeUs hotel. 

They’re almost back when Giwook asks, “What are we going to tell them at breakfast?” 

Geonhak squints into the early morning sun. “The truth? That we went to a love hotel on a lark, to take silly pictures for a prank, to show our friends? I mean, Hwanwoong has probably already told everybody, anyway.”

“What if they ask if anything happened?” asks the maknae. 

Geonhak understands the question now. He stops walking and looks at Giwook. 

He breathes in and out, considering, then leans over and kisses him – delicately, softly – lips perfectly nestled against lips. 

Geonhak steps back again and tells Giwook, “Well, nothing happened.” 

Giwook, cheeks like apricots, nods. 

They make it back to the hotel without further discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let it be known I delight in receiving your comments, ramen, or pictures of Dongmyeong with stars on his eyes.  
>  💕


	4. Chapter 4

Geonhak is not alone with Giwook for any of their brief, remaining time in Japan. It almost feels as if nothing happened: no gentle kiss in a love hotel bed – no quick follow-up kiss on the sidewalk, the morning after. 

Geonhak tries not to think about it, aware that his group members would pick up on his flustered energy in a microsecond.

His texting with Giwook is unchanged from before the trip. Geonhak sends the bassist a sleeping otter meme and gets a baby platypus meme in return.

They upload the BMO pictures, complete with funny captions, to their most trusted group chat networks of friends, and they prove to be a big hit. 

_I can’t believe you were brave enough to do this! That’s so awesome!_

_My favorite is the one of BMO trying to work the massaging chair! “My muscles felt a little square lately” – you two are too funny!_

_Oh, no, little BMO trying not to fall down into the bathtub drain! This is hilarious!_

The comments roll in, and it seems nobody suspects anything beyond a friendly photoshoot happened at the love hotel. 

Just when Geonhak thinks he’s out of the woods, Keonhee leans into him at the airport and asks, “Did you and Giwook really just go to a love hotel to sleep and take pictures of that toy?” 

“What?” sputters Geonhak, trying to keep his voice low. “Why would anything else have happened? It’s not like they make you actually have sex in the hotel. You can do anything you want – or not do anything, whatever.”

Keonhee raises one eyebrow. Damn, he’s gotten good at that. Geonhak is sure he’s been practicing. “That was a lot of words to use, just to say ‘I’m not going to tell you yes or no,’ hyung.” 

“Nothing happened.” Geonhak sighs. He’s very close to Keonhee; they’re frequent roommates and share a bond as the middle children of the ONEUS family. He sometimes tells himself that he and Keonhee are the only sane ones in the bunch. But he really doesn’t feel like talking about this here, in the departure gate of their flight back to Korea, either. 

Besides, nothing happened, right? There wasn’t even any tongue. 

And… and now he’s thinking about kissing Giwook. With tongue. _Argh._

“Geonhakie-hyung,” says Keonhee, in the voice he uses when one of the ONEUS members is acting like a child. “It looks like you’re having a whole conversation in your head without me.” 

Geonhak sighs and looks Keonhee in the eyes. “Let’s get some snacks or something. Just you and me, okay?” 

Keonhee’s eyebrow raise is so swift, Geonhak almost doesn’t catch it this time. “Okay.”

Geonhak puts his face mask back on. There’s no telling how much lip-reading fansites can do these days, but nothing would surprise him anymore, and cameras are everywhere. 

They walk to a small snack and newspaper shop in the airport terminal. They face a wall of magazines, and Geonhak says, “By this point, I’m sure that whatever you’re imagining is way more exciting than what actually happened.”

Keonhee chuckles. “I thought nothing happened, hyung?” 

“I mean, basically nothing happened. He kissed me, though,” Geonhak mutters, quietly.

“Seriously?! Did you kiss him back?” Keonhee’s voice is strained with the effort of keeping quiet.

“Not immediately…” 

“What do you mean, not immediately?”

Geonhak feels his chest tighten. “Why am I even telling you this?” 

Keonhee nudges him with his elbow. “Because it’s obvious something is up, and not even you can keep secrets forever. So spill. Did you kiss him back?”

“Maybe a little, just, like a tiny peck. The next morning.” 

Even with the hat and mask, Keonhee’s smile rings clear in his whisper. “So… you like each other.” 

“I don’t know.” Geonhak shifts his weight from one foot to the other, aware that they should probably buy something already or leave the kiosk.

“What’s not to know? Oh, Geonhakie-hyung, he’s a real cutie.” 

Geonhak groans and leans one hand against the wall, between the magazine racks. “I know, Keonhee. He kind of is, isn’t he?” 

“What are you going to do about it?” 

“Are you crazy? Nothing. I can’t do anything about it.”

“Why not?” asks Keonhee. “It’s not like the rest of us are all straight or celibate or whatever. You know that.” 

Geonhak does know that. “It’s just that… I didn’t think it would be me in this position.”

“Well,” smirks Keonhee, “As of right now, it doesn’t sound like you’ve been in any interesting positions. Yet.” 

Geonhak can’t keep a loud groan out of his voice. He leans in toward Keonhee and says, “I wish I hadn’t said anything. You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?” 

Keonhee scoffs. “You know me better than that. I won’t tell anybody anything. But if anything changes, I will want regular updates from you.”

“And if I don’t tell you anything?” 

“I eat all your food, step on your toes in practice, and make cute Valentine’s Day cards for Giwookie, delivering them to him with your name written all over.”

Sounds about right. Geonhak sighs, grabs a magazine about fitness, and goes to the register to pay. 

“You’re so predictable, hyung,” Keonhee chuckles. “But I guess those muscles enchant all the girls!” 

Geonhak glares at him. 

As they walk back to their gate, Keonhee adds in a low voice, “And the boys.” 

_Argh._

_____ 

One thing Keonhee said has stuck in Geonhak’s mind, now that they’re back in Korea. It follows him around while he’s making his protein shakes, while he’s working out in the mornings, and while he’s in the shower. He might be trying to watch the latest episode of a TV show or taking a sip of water during dance practice, and suddenly –boom!– the thought reasserts itself. 

_Valentine’s Day._

But that’s idiotic. It doesn’t matter. The existence of this highly commercialized, couples-oriented day does not matter! Why should it matter? Geonhak just… just happened to kiss a guy friend very lightly – meaninglessly – and Valentine’s Day holds no special significance for him whatsoever. 

_____

Dongmyeong has started joining him in his morning workouts. At first, there was much typically Dongmyeong-style flailing and burbling in protest, but the kid is actually sticking to the routine better than Geonhak had anticipated he could. 

“All right,” Geonhak tells him one morning. “You’re doing all right with the free weight rows. Do you know what a TRX is?” 

“T… R… X…? A dinosaur?” says Dongmyeong. 

Geonhak laughs. “No. Look, it’s got these cool straps. Okay, you can hook your hands through these loops, then hold on here… plant your feet here, keeping your core together, and now lean back.” 

Dongmyeong shrieks as he leans back. “I’m going to fall!”

Geonhak holds a hand behind the keyboardist’s back. “You’re not going to fall. Just remember to keep your elbows in by your body and your core tight. You’re going to lean back – and then row up, just like you did with the free weights, but kind of upside-down. This will give you sexy arms. You want sexy arms, right?”

Dongmyeong breathes a bit and says, “I want sexy arms.” 

Geonhak laughs. “Well, okay, then! Elbows in! You got this, Myeongie!”

Dongmyeong leans back and giggles, a touch of nervous hysteria in each breath. 

Geonhak guides him through several more exercises, and they stop for a breather, sipping water. 

Dongmyeong sighs happily into his water bottle. “You’re good at this. I can see why Giwook likes you.” His eyes immediately turn into saucers as he looks up at Geonhak. “And likes… working with you on… musical projects! Together! As musicians, professionally!” 

Geonhak’s ears burn as he sips his water. “Great!” 

They don’t discuss Giwook again for the rest of the workout. 

_____ 

The ONEUS members record vocals for a new comeback. He and Youngjo struggle with writing the lyrics to their raps – somewhat ironically, given the title of the song: “A Song Written Easily.” The lyrical content revolves around getting over heartbreak. Geonhak has come up with a few good lines, but now he feels stuck.

As they sit down to compare notes one afternoon, Youngjo levels his famously intense eyes at Geonhak. “I know you’ve said you haven’t experienced a broken heart, but… you definitely know heartache, right?” 

Geonhak sits back in his chair. “What do you mean?” 

“Well, it’s all over your face and in your eyes lately. The distracted way you zone out in breaks from rehearsal. The chuckling at your phone all the time–” (Okay, maybe Giwook _has_ been sending him more cute and funny memes lately) “– and the way you walked into the wall at home yesterday, then said it was because your socks felt funny.”

“My socks _did_ feel funny!” 

“And you definitely haven’t been thinking of anybody special in particular? C’mon Geonhak-ah, I’ve known you for a long time.” Youngjo looks at him expectantly.

Well… nothing terrible happened when Geonhak told Keonhee. Keonhee has been absolutely golden, true to his word – hasn’t given Geonhak a hard time or breathed a word of this to the rest of ONEUS. 

And Youngjo is right. They’ve been friends for a long time. 

Geonhak feels his chest tightening as he crosses his arms tightly. “What if…” Is he really going to do this? Geonhak exhales, then starts over. “What if it’s a guy, someone you know?” 

“Oh, my God. If you’ve got the hots for Dongju, the fans will absolutely lose their shit!” Youngjo’s face is nine shades of alarmed, with maybe a mixture of amusement thrown in there, too. 

“NO, no, Youngjo. No. Yeah, sure, he had a crush on me. That is so over and has been for a long time; you know that.” 

Youngjo’s eyes are wild; he’s clearly mentally racing through a list of mutual acquaintances. 

“Stop,” says Geonhak. “I’ll just tell you. It’s just a crush. Just a crush!” Somehow saying it out loud already feels like relief – the lifting of the granite pressing down on his chest. 

“So??” prompts a delighted Youngjo. 

“Giwook.” Geonhak uncrosses his arms and plants his face onto the table. “He’s just so damn cute,” he mumbles into the tabletop. 

Youngjo gasps. “Geonhak, that is the cutest thing I have ever heard. How do you think he feels? Is it mutual?” 

“I don’t know,” Geonhak mumbles into the page of lyrics. “He kissed me, though. In Japan.” 

“HE WHAT?!” 

“Christ, hyung! Keep your voice down!” The door is closed to the office room they’re using, but still. Anybody could be walking by. 

“Okay,” says Youngjo. “It’s ridiculous to say you don’t know how he feels if he kissed you. We clearly need to hook you two up.” 

“What do you mean, ‘WE?!’” Geonhak lifts his head from the table and stares at Youngjo. “How is this any of your concern?” 

“I care about you, and although clearly pining after someone is helping you write fantastic rap lyrics – I’m only a little jealous, by the way, but I’ll rewrite mine again – I want to see you happy.” Youngjo rises from the table and smiles. “Leave it to me.”

“Should I be concerned? ’Cause… I’m concerned,” says Geonhak. 

“No concern. Only trust. You trust me, right?”

Geonhak looks at Youngjo, possibly the man he trusts more than any other, in Korea or the entire universe. He drops his shoulders down. “I trust you.” 

“Excellent,” says Youngjo. He grabs his own lyric sheets and leaves the room, closing the door gently behind him – but not before flashing Geonhak the widest grin he’s ever seen on a human face. 

_Great. Whatever is going to happen… Just… great._

Geonhak slams his fist down on the table in frustration, and a table leg crunches loose. 

_Ahhh, shit._

He peeks under the table and sees where he broke it. 

_Ehhhh._ Probably nobody will notice.

He scoots the leg back into place and turns his gaze to his papers again, staring at his rap lyrics.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember - friends, family, fandom, fellow WEVE: Expressing opinions can be great and useful and all, but the best way to support ONEWE is always going to be super simple: **Buy the album!**
> 
> 💛


	5. Chapter 5

Geonhak texts Giwook a picture of his new hair from the salon. The stylists had wanted it to be a bit lighter, more of a grayish-blue ash color. What Geonhak got instead is this: a deep, deep blue – the exact opposite of the golden blond he’s been sporting for months. His hair, he recalls, was golden blond when Giwook kissed him in Japan. 

Not that it matters. Of course. 

Except that maybe his crush is getting a little out of hand. 

Just a few days ago, Hwanwoong caught him sleep-talking on the sofa, waking him up to ask, of all things, “Why are you muttering about Valentine’s? You know that Valentine’s Day was last month, right? It’s White Day, coming up. You know… Just in case you were thinking of getting anybody anything.”

Seriously?! How is Geonhak supposed to keep track of these things, anyway? Damn Keonhee, putting dumb ideas into his head, and damn his own sleep-talking.

Geonhak is starting to think absolutely everybody knows about his crush now. Even Dongju gives him an extra long smirk each time he announces he’s headed over to the ONEWE dorm to hang out there.

Deep blue hair, huh? Geonhak looks in the mirror, pokes a strand, and sighs.

 **Geonhak:** _Is it terrible? I feel like a sour blue candy._  
**Giwookie:** _It’s not terrible, hyung. Think of it as the ocean, instead._  
**Geonhak:** _I guess that works._  
**Giwookie:** _It’s a deep and terrible ocean, and you are an aquatic monster crawling along the seafloor, then rising up from the waves to freak out all the beachgoers, overturning umbrellas and eating volleyballs left and right._  
**Geonhak:** _Thank you? I think._

But he does feel a bit better.

A few minutes later, Giwook sends him a Godzilla meme, with Geonhak’s face clumsily pasted into the image.

 **Giwookie:** _RARRRR! Geonhak-monster! Fighting!_

Geonhak laughs. But does this mean Giwook likes it?! Or does he just think it’s funny? Maybe he thinks blue hair looks dumb. Geonhak tilts his now deep-blue head back in the stylist’s chair, and his groan is lost among the noise of salon hair-dryers. 

_____ 

They arrive in New Zealand to film their new video, headed to locations scouted for their spectacular natural beauty – fields of sheep poop aside, that is.

It’s a fun trip, full of hard work – yet also refreshing, somehow, and Geonhak almost forgets about his crush on Giwook. Well, no… “almost forgetting” isn’t quite right. Not at all. 

But it seems to him, riding in a van to yet another mind-bogglingly scenic filming location, that maybe the fresh air is helping. Maybe the gusts of wind are sweeping away some of Geonhak’s anxiety about bumping into the impish, brilliant music producer at the company corridors. Maybe absorbing the southern sun while Dongju feeds him bananas with ramen soup powder on them – _truly, it is a miracle both twins survived to adulthood_ – will eventually, miraculously help erase his crush entirely…? 

Geonhak is sitting in a field, hoping against hope that he’s not getting his trousers too dirty, when Youngjo approaches and sits down next to him. 

“Spectacular scenery, right?” asks Youngjo. 

“Yeah, it really is.” 

“What are you thinking about, Mr. Quiet and Thoughtful, this whole trip?” 

“Nothing!” Geonhak tries to keep his voice neutral. 

“Not thinking about our cute bassist friend?”

“Hyung, you can be such an ass sometimes.”

Youngjo chuckles. “Yonghoon texted me.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Seems ONEWE all got to pick new hair colors for their comeback.” There’s a tinge of mischief in Youngjo’s voice. 

“Okay,” says Geonhak, trying not to take the bait.

“Want to see?” offers Youngjo. 

“Yeah, sure.” _Operation Not Taking the Bait: Failure._

Youngjo pulls up a picture on his phone. There, in full megapixel brilliance, is a smiling Giwook, his locks a piercing blue – looking like the most irresistible pop of blueberry-flavored, sour sugar. Geonhak could just about lick the phone. 

“Cute, huh?” asks Youngjo. 

“I guess.” Geonhak pokes the grass with his fingertips, then sighs. _Damn._ Now he’s got sheep poop on his hands. 

Again. 

At least it seems like Youngjo has forgotten whatever harebrained scheme he had originally concocted to hook Geonhak up with the maknae.

_____ 

They get back to Korea amidst rising fears of an epidemic, and suddenly it feels like Geonhak’s world is closing in. Not entirely, but enough. No more working out at the gym; no more meeting friends at restaurants. No more coffeeshops – not that Geonhak’s really a coffee type of person, anyway – but it still feels stifling. The agency’s rules are strict: stay on agency property as much as humanly possible. Worst of all, Geonhak can’t roam the city alone, clearing his head in the anonymity outside the company world.

The modified routines of both ONEWE and ONEUS have an unexpected side effect: suddenly Geonhak is running into Giwook everywhere. Almost every day. In the basement corridors at work, in the elevator lobby of the dorm building, and even waiting to use the dance rehearsal space, where it seems the ONEWE members are practicing stage setups for various upcoming projects. 

Their exchanges are friendly – so casually friendly that Geonhak’s heart is starting to hurt a little. Maybe Giwook really doesn’t return the crush. Maybe he was simply so swept up by the novelty of love hotel mania that he felt like a peck on the lips was appropriate. 

Maybe that’s all. 

_____ 

“I like your hair,” Geonhak tells Giwook as they meet outside the door to the bathroom. 

Giwook grins. “I was inspired. Do I look like an aquatic monster, scary and terrible?” His smile is off-kilter, but his twinkling, knowing eyes give away the deep intelligence behind the seemingly boyish exterior. 

“No,” says Geonhak. “You look like sour blue candy.” 

Giwook’s grin falters. “In a bad way?”

Geonhak reaches out with his right hand and wraps one finger around a slightly frizzy, blue ringlet. “No,” he says. “Not at all.” His stomach plummets. _You look delicious._

_____ 

White Day approaches _(NOT Valentine’s Day, apparently – thank you, Hwanwoong)._ ONEWE has planned a livestreamed concert for the day, playing to fans straight from their practice room in the company basement. It’s brilliant, thinks Geonhak: ONEWE’s own gesture of love for their supporters, on a day dedicated to romance.

Geonhak watches the stream alone from the ONEUS dorm bedroom. Somehow, it feels like an experience he doesn’t want to share with anybody else. 

Giwook, always a fashion iconoclast, is wearing some sort of tan-colored overall outfit. Geonhak could never get away with it. How does the bassist manage to look natural, no matter what crazy clothing he chooses?

ONEWE starts playing “Starlight,” and Geonhak joins in the deluge of star emojis flooding the comment section. 

“Daebak,” Giwook says, checking the comments. _Awesome._

Geonhak smiles at his phone.

_____ 

The rest of ONEUS is going home to the dorm, for a rare and well-earned rest. Their schedules are insanely busy these days, and Geonhak’s head is spinning – and his body is aching. 

But what he wants even more than to go home is to lie here, in the dark, staring at the ceiling. 

He says goodbye to the others, double-checks that they have the room booked for the rest of the evening, and then turns out the lights. He lies down, using his hoodie as a pillow, and feels his spine realign itself against the wooden rehearsal room flooring.

He’s just started to feel his breaths even out when there’s a tentative series of knocks on the door, followed by the door slowly opening into the rehearsal space. 

A short, bucket-hat-wearing figure enters the room. “Hyung?” asks Giwook’s soft voice.

Geonhak sits bolt upright. “Hey, Giwookie.” 

“Sorry to bug you. Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just needed to stretch out a bit and… and maybe be alone for a moment.”

Giwook hesitates, “Do you want me to go?” 

“No!” says Geonhak, quickly. Too quickly? “Stay! … Stay.”

Giwook shifts his weight and takes off the hat, fiddling with it in his hands. Even in the near-darkness, his hair gleams blue.

“Come sit next to me,” says Geonhak. Giwook walks over and sits next to Geonhak. “Did you want to use this space for rehearsal, tonight?” he asks the bassist. “I thought we had it booked for the rest of the evening, but I guess with the lights off, it looks empty from the corridor…” 

“No. Well, honestly, Youngjo-hyung texted me, said that you were aching and your muscles were sore. He said I should come check on you, maybe, since we’re friends.”

Geonhak has to laugh. “Because I might be too sore? Oh, Youngjo. He’s such a terrible liar.”

“Is he?” asks Giwook. “What do you mean?” 

“He’s not wrong that we’re all sore from so much rehearsal. What he wants, though, is for me to stop being a coward and do this–”

Geonhak leans over and kisses Giwook full on the lips, with an immediate passion far exceeding the chasteness of their Japanese sidewalk peck.

After a brief moment of surprise, Giwook leans into the kiss and confidently, insistently kisses him back. His lips taste just like they look – soft and sweet. 

Geonhak runs his tongue briefly along Giwook’s full lower lip, and the maknae opens his mouth slightly. 

_Kissing Giwook, WITH tongue,_ thinks Geonhak, _is… amazing._

Geonhak feels like a teenager, kissing Giwook with an urgency generally reserved for high schoolers. He runs one hand through the blue curls and feels Giwook’s hand on his body – first on the knee, then on his side, nearly wrapped around his back.

They break apart for air, and Geonhak says, “So, should I apologize?” 

“Apologize?” 

“For… for kissing you.” 

It takes Giwook approximately 2.5 seconds to stop blinking and climb fully into Geonhak’s lap, pulling his hyung’s face back towards his own with both hands. 

Just when Geonhak thinks he might actually pass out from making-out-related anoxia, he and Giwook collapse in giggles onto the wooden floor. 

“But hyung,” says Giwook. “I thought you said nothing happened.” 

“Well, it was a dumb thing to say. Remember, I’m a dumb meathead.” 

Giwook sits up, his face more stern than Geonhak has ever before seen. “You are not dumb. You are far from it – and you know I don’t flatter people.” 

Geonhak feels the loosening of any remaining tensed muscles. “Okay,” he says. He pulls Giwook back down for more kissing, because – fuck it – he’s got the room booked for ages, and if he can’t go to the gym anyway, and his cardiovascular training is compromised, he might as well get his heart rate up _somehow._

Okay. That’s maybe only one reason. 

The other reason being that… 

“Giwook, I like you. Like, I really like you.”

Giwook starts playing with Geonhak’s forearm muscles. “I can’t get my arms to look like this, and I play bass hours a day.” 

“Did you hear me?” whines Geonhak. “I like you.”

Giwook giggles – an impish, cheeky giggle – and says, “Yeah, hyung. I like you, too. Obviously.” He resumes playing with Geonhak’s arm muscles.

Geonhak gives up pressing the issue, reminding himself that the cute, devilish boy now enthusiastically poking him in the biceps also has one of the quickest minds he’s ever met. 

They don’t leave the rehearsal room until the very end of the booked time slot, late into the night. 

Nobody asks Geonhak, when he finally returns home to the ONEUS dorm, what he was doing, and why his face is so flushed after hours of “relaxation” alone in the dark. 

In fact, they all seem to share grins and sidelong glances. 

_Damn._ These assholes. So much for keeping secrets in this place.

But he still sings to himself in the shower.

_____ 

They start stealing kisses in the corners of corridors, in the shadow of the cameras’ blind spots. Suddenly, the injunction to stay either in the dorms or in the company’s workspace seems like a blessing, rather than a burden. They even book rehearsal space again, intentionally keeping the lights off, and by the end of that evening, Geonhak feels like his lips are going to fall off his body.

Their texting, though more frequent, remains totally platonic – whether out of an abundance of caution or force of habit, Geonhak’s not sure. Thus, the message he receives one night throws him for a loop. 

**Giwookie:** _Have you ever been with a man before?_  
**Geonhak:** _What do you mean?_  
**Giwookie:** _I’d feel a bit weird texting exactly what I mean, hyung. Just use context clues, okay? So… have you ever been with a man?_  
**Geonhak:** _Oh._

Geonhak takes a deep breath.

 **Geonhak:** _… No. I haven’t._  
**Giwookie:** _Just curious._  
**Geonhak:** _No, it’s a fair question, but… maybe we should talk about this in person?_  
**Giwookie:** _Okay._

Wait. If they’ve concluded that the cameras only work in good lighting anyway – and nobody has said anything about their rehearsal space make-out sessions, so it seems a safe bet – what about…

 **Geonhak:** _What are you doing tomorrow night? Late, I mean. We have a promotional stage earlier in the evening._  
**Giwookie:** _I saw on your itinerary… not that I check_ 👀  
**Giwookie:** _Anyway, not doing anything tomorrow late_  
**Geonhak:** _Funny, I could have sworn you had very important business to attend to, in your studio_  
**Giwookie:** _You… are correct. It must have slipped my mind._  
**Giwookie:** _See you then!_ 😉

Geonhak laughs a bit to himself. So much for being covert in their electronic communication.

He spends the rest of the evening doing relevant research on his phone, checking repeatedly to ensure Incognito Mode is activated. Some of what he sees is frightening. Much of what he sees makes him blush. And some of what he sees… is… frankly, kinda hot. 

Geonhak jacks off in the bathroom and nearly falls asleep right there, on the cold, tiled floor.

_____ 

“Bye!” he says, the next evening. “Headed out to record lyrics with Giwook!” Geonhak puts on his shoes as he says goodbye to the rest of ONEUS, bundled up and watching TV together. Hwanwoong and Keonhee share meaningful glances with each other, and Seoho stage-coughs. 

“Okay, Geonhak-ah,” says Youngjo, rolling his eyes. Dongju just giggles, mashing a pillow against his mouth to try to stifle the sound.

Well, whatever. _Jerks._

_____ 

He knocks on the studio door, and Giwook lets him inside. 

“So,” asks Geonhak, by way of hello. “Have _you_ ever been with a man?” 

“Yes,” says Giwook, reaching up to kiss Geonhak and throwing his arms across his shoulders. “Not since high school, though. I was… I had a bit of an experimental phase.” 

“And what did you learn from your experimentation?” asks Geonhak. 

“Well,” says Giwook, tracing Geonhak’s hairline with his surprisingly delicate fingertips, “Let me show you.” 

And he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ❤️
> 
> _____
> 
> Also: 
> 
> An absolute angel on earth pre-ordered me a signed copy of the ONEWE album, and I just want this fact etched into history forever - so now you all know about this, too.


End file.
